Thursday, April 19, 2007

I have been getting an awful lot of news and stories from inside of Iran regarding the teachers' strikes and protests across Iran but I have also been so busy with school and daily life that I regrettably couldn't cover them very well.

90% of high school and 70% of primary school teachers in Tehran walked away and went on strike this past sunday and monday and many more joined their colleagues in towns and cities through out the country. Oil workers and Bus drivers have called for nation-wide strikes as well.

The next massive strike will be held this coming sunday and monday across the nation and I am hearing about the death threats some teachers have received for doing this. Moreover, regime is hastily increasing the salaries of teachers and retirees in order to avoid more trouble but they have miscalculated this round of public anger. It is not really about money. Money has become an excuse for Iranians to show their overall anger towards the regime that has failed them since day one.

Hopefully, I'll be able to keep you posted as my personal work-load reduces.

More of this kind of info needs to get out to combat the subconscious impression that many here have that there is no significant local constituency for liberty and sanity in the ME, and that all of this anti-autocracy campaigning is pointless because it is just "us" imposing our values and preferences on "them".

Iranian teachers are handcuffed in front of their pupils in the class, Iranian secular university lecturers are forced to retire or sacked, Iranian students are suspended from continuing their education if they dissent, and yet Western universities not only continue their relationship with IRI, they give out honorary doctorates and let their facilities be used as a platform for IRI propaganda! what a shame!

I remember when we were in Iran, we had so much respect for our teachers. The whole profession of teaching was considered with so much respect.